Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-08-26
A LIFE OF CRIME.
The Prince of Philadelphia
Thieves Surrenders to
the Police.
Tired Of his Wicked Ways---Weary
Also Of Eyadirg the Police
Ready for the Punishment.

PHILhDELPHIA, Penn, Aug. 25 An
elderly mar of seedy appearance wendell
his way into the Twelfth district station
house, at Tenth and Thompson streets.
at an early hour, and asked Lieutenant
Kemble to taxi him up and send him to
prison. He said that he was an old
criminal, and was tired of evading the
police, hi feeling that he deserved Il be
punished was prompted to give himself
up. The Twelfth district police turned
him away under the impression that he
was not sound in the head. Later he
called OF Chief Of Detectives Wood and
told his story with further elaboration.
He said his name was Robert s Billiard,
alias Ballard, and that in March last he
absconded from a clearinghouse at No.
l022 Race street, carrying away valua-
bles to the amount of over 81, 900 and
leaving an unpaid bill.
Chief Wood took charge of the man
and verified the story. The ~repentant
criminal then confessed that five years
ago he swindled the Blackstone national
bank of Boston out Of $500. He depos-
tied a bogus check for $1,000 in another
bank, and induced the bank to issue TO
him q certified check. Afterwards he
pretended to enter tuto a negotiation for
the purchase of real estate, and induced q
real estate agent TO identify him at the
Blackstone bank, where, on the presen-
tation of his certified check, he had a
check cashed for $500. With this money
he decamped n came to New York. In
the metropolis he was arrested for swind-
ling the clerk of Earle's hotel out of 500
by p,eans or a bogus check. He was
tried, convicted and sentenced to five
/ years In Sing Sing. By Communication ne
served An actual term of three years and
| seyen months, his term expiring on No
| vember 3 last. Upon his release he
wandered about and eventually secured
employment as a nurse in the Jefferson
hospital in this city. He remained there
until 1t was discovered that he WAS an ex-
convict, when he was discharged. He
has been wandering about doing petty
wrongs Of various kinds ever since,
it was just after leaving the hospital
that he committed his latest crime in this
city, His conscience oppressed him very
heavily. On n occasion he obtained as,
sistance at the, Young Mems Christian
Association. On Saturday he read in the
papers the account of the revolving sui
eide of q mother and daughter, locked in
aach others arms in a New York tene
AiSae aOAAoS' aitCA poh1clliS upOH tto
"details of the tragedy he formed a re-.
Bolve to take his w life, and provided
a razor for that purpose. He, however,
changed his mind and decided to give
himself up.
Ballard or Bullard is q short man,
spare of figure, with iron gray hair and
mustache. There is not q trace In his
countenance that would give any one a
suspicion that he was q criminal. He
is ~mild-looking, and would impress q
stranger with the belief that he was
either a minister or a ma of good in,
sttncts He is sc years of age, and a ma
tive of G~reenville, Miss. Years before the
war he lived on a plantation and was In
independent circumstances, BY the wal
they lost everything, but by the money
left by his father-in-law he was able to
live comfortably and Independently until
his wife and child both died in 1875.
Since then, he said, he had been stead
ny going to the bad, urged on by poverty
Finally he went on step by step In q
career of crime, unable to check 1t,
Thoroughly broken in spirit and looking
the picture OF mental distress, he wand.
cred YEARLY into the hands of the police,
%repentant and detected. He said he In
tended to do right when he got a place as
q nurse in the Jefferson hospital, but as
soon as his antecedents were learned he
was dismissed He said he would have
killed himself except for his dread Of
%eternal punishment unless he purged f,is
Sins on eartn.